Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Lin An, stricken with social anxiety, stayed in the cupboard for a long time, too scared to even approach the door for fear of encountering those terrifying sources of food.

But the discomfort of an empty stomach was too much to bear, and after enduring it for six long months, he could no longer resist.

Lying stiffly on the bed, Lin An's gaze was unfocused; the whole zombie appeared listless and pitiful.

The loud gurgling of his stomach drew even Little Fu, who tilted its head in curiosity, seemingly puzzled by the noise coming from its master's belly.

He slowly placed a hand over his deflated stomach, attempting to silence the source of the noise, but the cries of hunger only grew louder.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle."

Little Fu's eyes widened in astonishment, resting its head on the bed's edge to peer intensely, its shiny eyes filled with curiosity.

Ignoring the dog beside him, Lin An had only one thought consuming his mind.

Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry…

He hadn't had a meal in six full months, and it had sapped all his energy to work. Previously, he'd spend twelve hours a day cleaning and another twelve idling away, but now he only managed five hours of cleaning before spending the rest of his time lying in bed.

Suddenly, the zombie lying on the bed slowly tried to rise, only to collapse back weakly, too famished to get up.

After several futile attempts, it was Little Fu who discerned his master's intent, tugging at the hem of his pants to pull him off the bed.

Sliding down the bed like water, with Little Fu's assistance, Lin An finally managed to stand, trembling.

Pulling up his pants slowly, he stepped out of the bedroom and stared at the glossy black security door, steeling his resolve.

To go out!

To eat!

But leaving was not an easy task for him; recalling the sights from the last two times he'd opened the door, Lin An sluggishly began to prepare himself inside the house.

After a while, a zombie decked out in sunglasses, a mask, gloves, and shoe covers emerged as if from nowhere.

Wearing white gloves, Lin An stood at the door, tentatively touching the doorknob before quickly retracting his hand.

He repeated this back-and-forth several times, as if the doorknob were covered in thorns.

Little Fu was getting anxious, wondering why its master hadn't opened the door yet; weren't they supposed to go out and play?

In the end, it was still Little Fu who jumped up to open the door when its master hesitated.

The security door opened slowly, and upon seeing the junkyard-like scene outside, a whirlwind of water formed out of thin air, roaring and spinning towards the door, sweeping away all the filth and debris, before spilling out through the corridor windows.

It was finally a bit cleaner.

The bloodstains left outside had turned dark brown, and although they couldn't be cleaned even by water, it was still much better than before.

Peeking stealthily at the door, and making sure there was no movement, Lin An tentatively took a small step outside.

At last, they could go out! Little Fu was overjoyed, bouncing around ready to accompany its master, only to realize he had forgotten the leash.

"Woof!"

The leash!

Lin An turned his head at the sound of the dog barking, glanced at Little Fu, then averted his gaze to pick up the pink spray bottle resting on a shelf by the door.

The bottle, once filled with disinfectant, now held nothing but air after six months, the liquid long since evaporated.

Yet Lin An felt there should be something inside it.

The next moment, without thinking, he activated his water ability and the spray bottle filled instantly with clear water.

Observing the now full spray bottle, Lin An tentatively sprayed a few times towards the outside, scattering a fine mist that drifted down gently.

Satisfied, the little zombie took the spray bottle and slowly made his way outside.

The overlooked Little Fu: "?"

It howled at its master a few times, but the zombie, preoccupied with the new toy and spraying here and there, paid it no attention.

As the master neared the staircase, Little Fu grew anxious, whimpering in dismay. Realizing he wasn't turning back, it dashed to its bedroom and emerged with a black leash, bolting out the door.

Wait for me!

The stairwell was also filled with dust and debris. Lin An wanted to rinse it down, but at that moment, he didn't have the strength to use his ability anymore; he was too hungry.

Cautiously avoiding the garbage on the steps and using the spray bottle to clear his path, Lin An slowly descended the stairs.

In the stairwell on the second floor, a pile of dried-up remains lay discarded to one side—the remnants of Yellow Hair, devoured by Scarface, left in the state of their violent death with no one to clear them away.

Lin An glanced at the corner of remains, spritzed them a few times with the spray bottle, and then continued on his way.

Finally reaching the ground floor, the community, untouched for half a year, looked desolate and abandoned, devoid of human voices or birdsong, eerily silent.

Little Fu trailed behind, and when its master stood still, it quickly positioned itself in front with the leash in its mouth, gesturing for him to take it.

Lin An, masked and sunglassed, looked down at the dog walking back and forth before him, not understanding its intent, standing there indifferent.

With no other option, Little Fu placed one end of the leash into Lin An's empty hand, which he grasped subconsciously.

With the other end of the leash in its mouth, Little Fu began to lead its master on a walk down the street.

Lin An had no specific destination in mind; he was out searching for food, so he let Little Fu guide him forward until they would find something.

With its fluffy tail wagging, Little Fu happily made for the outskirts of the community, the dog eager to play after being indoors for so long, naturally wanting to venture further afield.

A faint scent of food lingered in the air, likely from residents hidden within the complex. Lin An's eyes lit up, intent on heading toward the source of the aroma. He took a step, only to be pulled away by Xiao Fu, the dog in front.

Xiao Fu, a one-year-old, had grown into an adult dog. Though the apocalypse had kept him indoors, his dog food was never scarce. Amidst the widespread hunger, this dog still managed to maintain some plumpness. Happily walking the streets, he was oblivious to his owner's desire to head elsewhere, insistently leading the way out of the complex.

Lin An gripped the small spray bottle in one hand and the leash in the other, both hands clenched tight, with no intention of letting go. He could only watch, helplessly, as the food's scent grew fainter with each step.

Glancing back the whole way, Lin An felt aggrieved and for the first time, roared at Xiao Fu.

Lin An: "Roar~"

The dog ahead halted.

The little zombie, thinking he was understood, hurried back. However, Xiao Fu merely lifted his leg beside a tree to mark his territory, then continued forward.

The slow-moving zombie was led away before he could further investigate the scent of food, quickly leaving the complex behind.

To the left of the complex was a park, and to the right, an unfinished building. Xiao Fu glanced both ways, opting for the park.

Charge~

To the park to play~

Xiao Fu, initially mindful of his human companion, wasn't quick. But the thought of playing in the park quickened his pace involuntarily.

The little zombie behind stumbled along, his sunglasses askew.

Although the area was secluded, a few zombies roamed the street, their clothing tattered, hair unkempt, and their bodies and faces bore dark brown patches — remnants of their human feasts.

The zombies, catching the scent of flesh, swarmed in one direction.

Before long, a dog appeared in their sight, and the stumbling, leashed kindred trailing it was unanimously ignored by the zombies.

Though small, the dog was still meat, and the zombies howled as they charged at Xiao Fu.

Xiao Fu was clever but timid.

Once bullied by humans, the experience left him with the ability to open doors, yet he never ventured out alone, bold only when accompanied by his owner.

When it saw so many "people" rushing towards it, Xiao Fu stopped in its tracks, retreating timidly before looking back at its owner for guidance.

Having finally stopped, Lin An's sunglasses were barely hanging on as he looked around in confusion, seemingly at a loss as to why he was there.

Suddenly, Lin An noticed a group charging towards him, their stench unbearable, their expressions ghastly and faces twisted with a ravenous madness, all of which sent this clean-freak, socially-anxious zombie into a state of panic.

His first instinct was to find a cupboard to hide in, but with none of his familiar hiding spots in sight, he had no choice but to turn tail and run.

Lin An ran slowly, and the zombies pursued at an equally languid pace.

These zombies, isolated and with few humans to feast on, lacked sufficient energy, which meant their pursuit was as sluggish as Lin An's escape.

Seeing its master fleeing, Xiao Fu realized that Lin An could not defeat these "people."

True to its cowardly nature, Xiao Fu quickly darted past Lin An to escape, inadvertently increasing Lin An's speed significantly as he was pulled along.

They ran so fast that Lin An's sunglasses flew off.

Outrunning the zombies, they had no choice but to flee in the opposite direction, bringing them near the unfinished building.

This building, neglected due to the developer's debt disputes, was rarely visited. Lin An had secretly brought Xiao Fu here a few times before; it was an ideal spot for walking the dog away from people's eyes.

The zombies didn't follow them any further. Xiao Fu sniffed around the unfinished building, occasionally marking his territory.

Lin An looked around blankly; he had set out in search of food, but where was it?

Where indeed?

As Xiao Fu played joyfully and Lin An searched aimlessly for food, neither the zombie nor his dog noticed that the unfinished building was different from half a year ago.

What was once a skeletal structure was now a fractured edifice, as if it had suffered a severe attack, leaving behind only a fraction of its frame.

Lin An caught the scent of food again, nearby. Looking up, he spotted a hand amidst a pile of rubble not far away.

The person had died, apparently crushed during the collapse of the building, their arm extending stubbornly out, mixed with blood and the grey of cement and debris.

Lin An watched for a moment, then used his spray bottle to spritz the protruding arm.

Greyish wastewater trickled down the limb.

Lin An: "…Let's look for something else."

Food sources were gruesomely intermingled with the debris, crushed into a pulp under cement blocks, charred beyond recognition, with most beyond salvaging for consumption.

"Gurgle, gurgle."

The stomach calls out again.

Lin An felt extremely wronged; why was it so difficult to simply find a meal?

Xiao Fu, sniffing around, seemed to have discovered something and suddenly dashed off in a specific direction.

The still aggrieved little zombie was abruptly yanked along.

Behind the unfinished building lay a small grove where a man, barely alive, was lying.

Xiao Fu approached and sniffed the man, then turned to look at Lin An.

This was the most intact food Lin An had found; despite the dust on the face and the blood oozing from various wounds, the strong scent of life and fresh flesh was overwhelmingly tempting.

"Gulp!"

Lin An, swallowing his saliva, glanced at the dismal surroundings, preparing to take this food home. It would surely be delicious once cleaned.

He leisurely sprayed the man with a small spray bottle as a form of disinfection.

The clever little zombie stowed away the spray bottle, released the leash, and began to drag his find towards home.

After a few steps, he halted, looking around in bewilderment.

Where is this?

Where is home?